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Pearl River Delta

Coordinates: 22°32′N 113°44′E / 22.533°N 113.733°E / 22.533; 113.733
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Pearl River Delta
珠江三角洲
Delta do Rio das Pérolas
Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau
Greater Bay Area
2014 satellite view of the Pearl River Delta from the NASA Earth Observatory
2014 satellite view of the Pearl River Delta from the NASA Earth Observatory
Detailed map of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area
ProvincesGuangdong
Hong Kong
Macau
Major CitiesGuangzhou
Shenzhen
Zhuhai
Foshan
Dongguan
Zhongshan
Jiangmen
Huizhou
Zhaoqing
Hong Kong
Macau
Government
 • Governor of GuangdongWang Weizhong
 • Chief Executive of Hong KongJohn Lee
 • Chief Executive of MacauHo Iat Seng
Area
 • Total55,800 km2 (21,500 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total86,100,000
 • Density1,500/km2 (4,000/sq mi)
Languages
 •  Cantonese and other varieties of Yue Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, English, Portuguese, Macanese Patois, and numerous other languages
GDP
 • TotalCN¥ 13.0 trillion
US$ 1.9 trillion (nominal)
 • Per capitaCN¥ 150,600
US$ 22,400 (nominal)
Time zoneUTC+8 (CST, HKT, MST)
Pearl River Delta
Chinese name
Chinese珠江三角洲
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhūjiāng Sānjiǎozhōu
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationJyūgōng Sāamgokjāu
JyutpingZyu1gong1 Saam1gok3zau1
other Yue
TaishaneseZu˧˨ kong˥ Lam˧ guk˨˥ zou˧˨
Chinese abbreviation
Chinese珠三角
Literal meaningZhu (Pearl River) Delta
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhūsānjiǎo
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationJyūsāamgok
JyutpingZyu1saam1gok3
other Yue
TaishaneseZu˧˨ lam˧ guk˨˥
Second alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese粤江平原
Traditional Chinese粵江平原
Literal meaningYue (Guangdong) river plain
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYuèjiāng Píngyuán
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingjyut6gong1 ping4jyun4
Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area
Simplified Chinese粤港澳大湾区
Traditional Chinese粵港澳大灣區
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYuègǎng'ào Dàwān Qū
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingjyut6gong2ou3 daai6waan1 keoi1
Portuguese name
PortugueseDelta do Rio das Pérolas

The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region[a] is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area in official documents, the region is one of the most densely populated and urbanized regions in the world, and is considered a megacity by numerous scholars.[2] It is currently the wealthiest region in Southern China and one of the wealthiest regions in China along with the Yangtze River Delta in Eastern China and Jingjinji in Northern China. Most of the region is part of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, which is a special economic zone of China.

The region is a megalopolis, and is at the southern end of a larger megalopolis running along the southern coast of China, which include metropolises such as Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Macao. The nine largest cities of the PRD had a combined population of 86 million in 2022, the PRD has become the largest urban area in the world in both size and population.[3] The region's traditional language is Cantonese; in the late 20th century and the 21st century, due to the high inflow of migrant workers coming from other regions, Mandarin has gradually become a lingua franca.

The west side of this region, along with Chaoshan, was also the source of much Chinese emigration from the 19th to the mid 20th centuries, including to the Western world, where they formed many Chinatowns. Today, much of the Chinese diaspora in the US, Canada, Australia, Latin America, and much of Southeast Asia traces their ancestry to the west side of this region.

City Area km2 Population (2020) GDP (LCU)[1] GDP (US$)
Shenzhen 1,986 17,560,000 CN¥ 3,239 billion US$ 482.0 billion
Guangzhou 7,434 18,676,605 CN¥ 2,884 billion US$ 429.0 billion
Hong Kong 1,114 7,413,070 HK$ 2,873 billion US$ 368.4 billion
Foshan 3,848 9,498,863 CN¥ 1,270 billion US$ 189.0 billion
Dongguan 2,465 10,466,625 CN¥ 1,120 billion US$ 167.0 billion
Huizhou 10,922 6,042,852 CN¥ 540 billion US$ 78.6 billion
Zhuhai 1,724 2,439,585 CN¥ 405 billion US$ 61.4 billion
Jiangmen 9,535 4,798,090 CN¥ 321 billion US$ 46.4 billion
Zhongshan 1,784 4,418,060 CN¥ 316 billion US$ 45.7 billion
Zhaoqing 14,891 4,113,594 CN¥ 232 billion US$ 35.3 billion
Macau 115 672,800 MOP$ 188 billion US$ 23.4 billion
Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau
Greater Bay Area
55,818 86,100,000 CN¥ 12.967 trillion US$ 1.925 trillion

Geology

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Geography

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The river delta, also known as the Golden Delta of Guangdong,[4] is formed by three major rivers, the Xi Jiang (West River), Bei Jiang (North River), and Dong Jiang (East River). The flat lands of the delta are criss-crossed by a network of tributaries and distributaries of the Pearl River. The Pearl River Delta is actually two alluvial deltas, separated by the core branch of the Pearl River. The Bei Jiang and Xi Jiang converge to flow into the South China Sea and Pearl River in the west, while the Dong Jiang only flows into the Pearl River proper in the east.

The Xi Jiang begins exhibiting delta-like characteristics as far west as Zhaoqing, although this city is not usually considered a part of the PRD region. After passing through the Lingyang Gorge and converging with the Bei Jiang, the Xi Jiang opens up and flows as far east as Nansha District and as far west as Xinhui. Major distributaries of the Xi include Donghui Shuidao, Jiya Shuidao, Hutiaomen Shuidao, Yinzhou Hu, and the main branch of the Xi Jiang. Jiangmen and Zhongshan are the major cities found in the western section of the delta.[citation needed]

The Bei Jiang enters the delta plains at Qingyuan but does not begin to split until near Sanshui. From here the two main distributaries are Tanzhou Shuidao and Shunde Shuidao which form multiple mouths along the west side of the Pearl River's estuary. Two other distributaries, Lubao Yong and Xinan Yong, split from the Bei further north and converge with the Liuxi He to form the main branch of the Pearl River just north of Guangzhou. The other major city in the north section of the delta is Foshan.[citation needed]

The Dong Jiang flows through Huizhou into the delta. It begins diverging northeast of Dongguan into many distributaries, including the Dongguan Shuidao. Distributuares enter the Pearl River as far north as Luogang and as far south as Hu Men (Tiger Gate).

Saltwater crocodiles were present within the Pearl River estuary during antiquity.

Location and demographics

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As well as the delta itself, the term Pearl River Delta refers to the dense network of cities that covers nine prefectures of the province of Guangdong, namely Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai and the SARs of Hong Kong and Macau. The 2010/2011 State of the World Cities report, published by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, estimates the population of the delta region at 120 million people; it is rapidly urbanising.[5]

The eastern side of the PRD (Shenzhen, Dongguan), dominated by foreign capital, is the most developed economically. The western areas (Foshan, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen), dominated by local private capital, are open for development. New transport links between Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai in the PRD are expected to open up new areas for development, further integrate the cities, and facilitate trade within the region. The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, and the proposed Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge, currently in the planning phase, will be amongst the longest bridges in the world with a total length of approximately 50 km (31 mi) each.

An 1888 map of the mouth of the Pearl River Delta, showing the locations of Macau and Hong Kong

Until 1985, the PRD had been mainly dominated by farms and small rural villages, but after the economy was reformed and opened, a flood of investment turned it into the land's economic powerhouse. The PRD's startling growth was fueled by foreign investment coming largely from Hong Kong manufacturers that moved their operations into the PRD. In 2003, Hong Kong companies employed 11 million workers in their PRD operations. Lately there have been extreme labour shortages in the region due to runaway economic growth which caused wages to rise by about 20 to 30 percent in the past two years.[6]

Economy

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The Pearl River Delta has been one of the most economically dynamic regions of the People's Republic of China since the launch of China's reform programme in 1979. With annual gross domestic product growth of 13.45 percent over three decades since 1978, it is 3.5 percentage points higher than the national average. Since 1978 almost 30 percent of all foreign investment in China was in the PRD.[7] In 2007 its GDP rose to US$448 billion which makes its economy about the size of Taiwan's[8] and by 2019 this figure has increased to US$2.0 trillion [9] or about the same size as Canada. The abundance of employment opportunities created a pool of wealthy, middle-income, professional consumers with an annual per capita income that puts them among China's wealthiest.[10] Since the onset of China's reform program, the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone has been the fastest growing portion of the fastest growing province in the fastest growing large economy in the world.[11]

The industrial cities in the Pearl River Delta have been called the "Factory of the World" or the "World's Factory" due to the presence of industrial parks populated with factories from foreign investments.[12][13] However, the target market of the delta region's exports has become increasingly domestic rather than foreign.[14] Dongguan, Zhongshan, Nanhai, and Shunde are the four cities known as the Four Guangdong Dragons for their high growth rates and rapid development from late the 1980s to the 2000s.

Although the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone encompasses only 0.4 percent of the land area and only 3.2 percent of the 2000 census population of mainland China, it accounted for 8.7 percent of GDP, 35.8 percent of total trade, and 29.2 percent of utilised foreign capital in 2001. By 2016 the Pearl River Delta accounted for 9.1 percent of China's GDP.[15] These figures show the remarkable level of economic development to which the Pearl River Delta has been subjected in order to become an 'Economic Zone', as well as the international orientation of the region's economy. This orientation has attracted numerous investors from all over the world who use the Greater Pearl River Delta region as a platform for serving global and Chinese markets.

As of 2008, the Central Government has introduced new labor laws, environmental and other regulations to reduce pollution, industrial disputes, produce safer working conditions and protect the environment. The costs of producing low margin and commodity goods have increased. This is on top of the rising cost for energy, food, transport and the appreciation of the renminbi against the falling US dollar. Some manufacturers will need to cut costs by moving up the value chain or moving to more undeveloped regions.[16]

Significance of PRD

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Many electronic markets in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen specialize in selling electronic components to the manufacturers of electric and electronic goods

The Pearl River Delta established itself as the factory location of choice for global companies that were headquartered in Hong Kong in the 1980s. The industrial output of the Pearl River Delta was generated in the main by state-owned enterprises. Meanwhile the industrial output of collective-owned enterprises diminished over time, with private enterprises and joint ventures increasing their share of the Pearl River Delta's industrial output to 37.5 percent by the mid-1990s.[17]

Today urban areas with the assistance of the municipal governments in the Pearl River Delta are attempting to rebrand industrial output as originating from "the world's tech lab" or "design studio". The Pearl River Delta has become the world's workshop and is a major manufacturing base for products such as electronics, garments and textiles,[18] plastic products, and a range of other goods.

Private-owned enterprises have developed quickly in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone and are playing an increasing role in the region's economy, particularly after year 2000 when the development environment for private-owned enterprises has been greatly relaxed.

In 2001 nearly five percent of the world's goods were produced in the Greater Pearl River Delta, with a total export value of US$289 billion. Over 70,000 Hong Kong companies had factory plants in the Greater Pearl River Delta.[16]

Container shipping

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The Thirteen Factories c. 1805, displaying the flags of Denmark, Spain, the United States, Sweden, Britain, and the Netherlands

In the Pearl River Delta an extensive system of container feeder shipping has been established. This system of containerization also serves ports within the same region. The container port of Shenzhen has surpassed Hong Kong as major hub with Guangzhou serving as another significant container shipping hub for the Pearl River Delta.[19]

Transportation

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Urban rail transport

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PRD is served by six different metro systems throughout the metropolitan area consisting of Guangzhou Metro, Shenzhen Metro, MTR, FMetro, Macau Light Rail Transit and Dongguan Rail Transit. In addition, the Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region intercity railway provides regional transit between cities of the PRD.

Railway and intercity-rail transport

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The entire PRD is fully covered by railway, high-speed rail, or intercity-rail services.

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area Rail Transit Network

Buses, taxis and motorcycles

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All cities are served by buses and taxis, while some cities may still offer motorcycle service. The Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge provides a road connection across the Pearl River between Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai, and is regularly traversed by buses and other public transit.

River transport

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There are daily high-speed catamaran services throughout the PRD region.

Air transport

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The PRD is covered by seven civilian airports, with five in mainland China and two in special administrative regions. Two of the mainland airports have international flights.

Mainland China:

Special administrative regions:

Another new airport in the mainland — Pearl River Delta International Airport — located in Gaoming District, Foshan — is under construction.

Cities

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Subdivision

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  1. ^ PRD; Chinese: 珠江三角洲城市圈; pinyin: Zhūjiāng Sānjiǎozhōu Chéngshìquān; Jyutping: Zyu1gong1 Saam1gok3zau1 Sing4si5hyun1; Portuguese: Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)
  2. ^ Merged into Renmin Subdistrict
  3. ^ Merged into Liurong Subdistrict
  4. ^ Merged into Beijing Subdistrict
  5. ^ Merged into Guangta Subdistrict
  6. ^ Split from Xinshi Subdistrict
  7. ^ Split from Shijing Subdistrict
  8. ^ Split from Shijing Subdistrict
  9. ^ Split from Jiahe Subdistrict
  10. ^ Split from Xinhua Subdistrict
  11. ^ Formerly known as Yayao
  12. ^ Split from Xinhua Subdistrict
  13. ^ Split from Wanqingsha Town
  14. ^ Split from Xintang Town
  15. ^ Split from Xintang Town
  16. ^ Split from Xixiang Subdistrict
  17. ^ Split from Fuyong Subdistrict
  18. ^ Split from Shajing Subdistrict
  19. ^ Split from Songgang Subdistrict
  20. ^ Split from Guangming & Gongming Subdistrict
  21. ^ Split from Guangming & Gongming Subdistrict
  22. ^ Split from Gongming Subdistrict
  23. ^ Split from Gongming Subdistrict
  24. ^ Split from Guanlan Subdistrict
  25. ^ Split from Longhua Subdistrict
  26. ^ Split from Longgang Subdistrict
  27. ^ Split from Buji Subdistrict
  28. ^ Split from Henggang Subdistrict
  29. ^ Split from Pingshan Subdistrict
  30. ^ Split from Pingshan Subdistrict
  31. ^ Split from Pingshan Subdistrict
  32. ^ Split from Kengzi Subdistrict
  33. ^ Merged into Baisha Subdistrict
  34. ^ Merged into Baisha Subdistrict
  35. ^ Merged into Baisha Subdistrict
  36. ^ Merged into Jiangnan Subdistrict
  37. ^ Merged into Jiangnan Subdistrict
  38. ^ Merged into Shishan Town
  39. ^ Merged into Chengdong & Chengxi Subdistrict
  40. ^ Merged into Chengdong & Chengxi Subdistrict
  41. ^ Merged into Jiangtun Town
  42. ^ Merged into Binheng Town

Pearl River mega-city

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A 2011 article in British newspaper The Telegraph reported on a "Turn The Pearl River Delta Into One" project. The stated goal was to "mesh the transport, energy, water and telecommunications networks of the nine cities together."[20] (Hong Kong and Macau were not included.) However, the Chinese government denied that such a project existed.[21]

Pollution

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Removal of floating trash from the surface of the Pearl River in Guangzhou

The Pearl River Delta is notoriously polluted.[22] After thirty years of rapid industrialization, the Pearl River Delta has in parts been famed for pollution. Acid rain, smog, water pollution, and electronic waste contribute to the perceived problems. In travel literature the Pearl River Delta has been titillated as among the most attractive "pollution day trips from Hong Kong".[23]

Treatment facilities for sewage and industrial waste are failing to keep pace with the growth in population and industry in the area. A large portion of the pollution is brought about by factories run by Hong Kong manufacturers in the area. Much of the area is frequently covered with a brown smog. This has a strong effect on the pollution levels in the delta.[24]

On 22 March 2007 the World Bank approved a $96 million loan to the PRC government to reduce water pollution in the Pearl River Delta.[25] On December 23, 2008, it was announced that ¥48.6 billion (about $7.1 billion) will be spent on the river by mid-2010 to clean up the river's sewage problems quoted by Zhang Hu, the director of Guangzhou municipal bureau of water affairs. The city will build about 30 water treatment plants, which will treat 2.25 million tonnes of water per day. The program hopes to cut down the amount of sewage in the area by 85%, and was also of fundamental importance for the 2010 Asian Games held in Guangzhou from November 12, 2010, to November 27, 2010.[26]

In October 2009 Greenpeace East Asia released a report, "Poisoning the Pearl River" that detailed the results of a study it conducted in which 25 samples were collected from five manufacturing facilities in the Greater Pearl River Delta. The study concluded that all the facilities sampled were discharging waste-water containing chemicals with proven or suspected hazardous properties including beryllium, copper, manganese, and heavy metals, as well as high levels of organic chemicals.[27] These substances are associated with a long list of health problems such as cancer, endocrine disruption, renal failure and damage to the nervous system as well being known to harm the environment. Three of the five facilities sampled (Qingyuan Top Dragon Co. Ltd, Wing Fung P.C. Board Co. Ltd. and Techwise Qingyuan Circuit Co. Ltd. ) contained concentrations of chemicals which exceeded the limits set by Guangdong provincial effluent standards. These companies were then subjected to a Clean Production Audit according to Article 28 of China's Cleaner Production Promotion Law.[28] Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau took a stance against the companies by blacklisting them.

Pearl River Delta is a strong source of greenhouse gases as well. Although it is hard to estimate overall greenhouse gas emissions from such a large megacity, scientists have shown that Pearl River Delta exhibits one of the strongest anomalies in carbon dioxide concentration around the world. This enhancement is easily discernible from satellite observations.[29]

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b The GDP figures are from the statistical bulletin on 2022 national economic and social development published by the statistical agencies of relevant cities, see"2022年GDP100强城市榜:江苏13市均超4000亿,10强有变化". yicai.com.
  2. ^ Chan, Fung (2020). "The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area: Enhancing collaborative governance of the CEPA implementation and regional integration". China: An International Journal. 18 (1): 171–191. doi:10.1353/chn.2020.0011. S2CID 251641247.
  3. ^ World Bank Report Provides New Data to Help Ensure Urban Growth Benefits the Poor, The World Bank Group, 26 Jan 2015
  4. ^ Atlas of China, page 123 SinoMaps Press 2007
  5. ^ Vidal, John (22 March 2010). "UN report: World's biggest cities merging into mega-regions". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  6. ^ "Labor shortage to affect Pearl River Delta hardest".
  7. ^ "A Stronger Pearl River Delta" (PDF).
  8. ^ "Achievements, challenges in China's Pearl River Delta plan". Archived from the original on October 4, 2009.
  9. ^ "Home - Regional - Quarterly by Province" (Press release). China NBS. March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  10. ^ "Economic Backdrop of the PRD" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  11. ^ "Introducing the Pearl River Delta". Archived from the original on 2012-07-25. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  12. ^ Mukul Devichand (15 December 2011). "Can China keep its workers happy as strikes and protests rise?". BBC Radio 4, Crossing Continents.
  13. ^ Rahul Jacob (30 November 2011). "Talk is cheap in the world's factory". Financial Times.
  14. ^ "How Hong Kong's poorer workers can gain from Greater Bay Area". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  15. ^ "PRD Economic Profile | HKTDC". china-trade-research.hktdc.com. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  16. ^ a b China's low costs are on the rise dallasnews.com 2008-08-19 Retrieved 2010-01-09
  17. ^ Detlev Ipsen; Josefine Fokdal; Peter Herrle, eds. (2014). Beyond Urbanism: Urban(izing) Villages and the Mega-urban Landscape in the Pearl River Delta in China. Lit. p. 30. ISBN 9783643905529.
  18. ^ Heike Jenss; Viola Hofmann, eds. (2019). Fashion and Materiality: Cultural Practices in Global Contexts. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 163. ISBN 9781350057838.
  19. ^ Gordon Wilmsmeier; Jason Monios, eds. (2020). Geographies of Maritime Transport. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 143. ISBN 9781788976640.
  20. ^ China to create largest mega city in the world with 42 million people telegraph.co.uk 2011-01-29 Retrieved 2011-01-29
  21. ^ Guandong denies ambitious megacity plan Archived 2012-05-11 at the Wayback Machine CCTV News English 2011-01-30
  22. ^ Wong, S.C.; Li, X.D.; Zhang, G.; Qi, S.H.; Min, Y.S. (2002). "Heavy metals in agricultural soils of the Pearl River Delta, South China". Environmental Pollution. 119 (1): 33–44. doi:10.1016/s0269-7491(01)00325-6. hdl:10397/2566. PMID 12125727.
  23. ^ Stefan Al, ed. (2012). Factory Towns of South China: An Illustrated Guidebook. Hong Kong University Press. p. 13. ISBN 9789888083695.
  24. ^ Wang, Wen-Xiong; Rainbow, Philip S. (2020). Environmental Pollution of the Pearl River Estuary, China. Berlin: Springer. p. 125. ISBN 9783662618349.
  25. ^ World Bank loans China $96 mln for delta environment Reuters alertnet.org 2007-03-22 Retrieved 2010-01-09
  26. ^ Guangzhou contributes 48.6 bln yuan to clean up Pearl River xinhuanet.com 2008-12-24 Retrieved 2010-01-09
  27. ^ "Greenpeace welcomes Guangdong's move to blacklist 20 polluting companies".
  28. ^ "Poisoning the Pearl River: 2nd Edition".
  29. ^ Labzovskii, Lev D.; Jeong, Su-Jong; Parazoo, Nicholas C. (November 2019). "Working towards confident spaceborne monitoring of carbon emissions from cities using Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2". Remote Sensing of Environment. 233: 111359. Bibcode:2019RSEnv.23311359L. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2019.111359. S2CID 202176909.
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22°32′N 113°44′E / 22.533°N 113.733°E / 22.533; 113.733